Category: WriMo

Midlife Updates (Oct 2023)

On By Katness HarrietIn prep, WriMoLeave a comment

OCT = Pumpkins and Preptober!

This season, the powers of light have bestowed upon our region…an additional Municipal Liaison. *insert hysterically happy tears here* In case you missed the three years of failed updates over here (cough, cough), I’ll fill you in:

LIFE HAS BEEN WEIRD! And busy. And…shutdown-y. 

And if all that wasn’t enough, I decided a toddler and a new business weren’t keeping me busy enough in 2021 — so I applied for (and was accepted into) the lay preaching class in my diocese. It was a two year long commitment to learn how to faithfully and accurately deliver the gospel according to the lectionary calendar, as well as how to minister to our communities in the ways that best aligned with our gifts. It was amazing, and…not a walk in the park.

Now I finally feel like I can give energy back to my writing in the way I always meant to previously, and sometimes actually was able to do.

I have been mentally planning my November NaNoWriMo project, which is even less #pantser of me than usual. I still don’t have anything written as far as a plan, outline or characters but considering that I haven’t written anything for my own heart and soul in the last four years, I’ll take it.

This year’s project will be a fantasy genre novel with themes of love, death, identity, mental health, and time/lines. I haven’t decided yet if it belongs in the as of yet unnamed anthology of recent years’ works. I guess we’ll find out when we start laying words to the page.

See you soon,

KHS

Camp NaNoWriMo April 2020

On By Katness HarrietIn WriMoLeave a comment

April 1, 2020 – Wednesday

No fooling…It’s that time again!

I will be posting regular motivational content at the #FLXwrimo Instagram, as well as our Facebook group. If you need the links, send me a DM or comment!

April is the 1st of two Camp NaNoWriMo events every year & they are much more laid back than November’s nano event. Pick a goal of any size and smash it!

This time around, I’m editing my nano2019 work-in-progress which is a paranormal fiction novel about a family in the Finger Lakes of Upstate NY (what?! How odd! Haha) that finds its members each challenged by a medical event that blurs the lines of reality, dreamscapes & the afterlife.

If you need an escape from social distancing and Covid19 talk, may I suggest you tell your story?

Exciting News!

On By Katness HarrietIn WriMoLeave a comment

Exciting news! I was just made a NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison for the Finger Lakes Region!

If you’re in the area and either already a WriMo, or want to become one, look us up on the forums!

In case you’re not familiar with NaNoWriMo, let me expand on this a little.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and is a free program and community for writers of all experience levels. The basic goal is to write a complete first draft novel during the month of November. It’s a community effort of group write-ins, word sprints and mentoring, both online and in person. It is a growing experience and a safe space for creative expression.

NaNo is broken up into regions for promotion, support, and other benefits. The Finger Lakes region is basically Cayuga, Ontario, Seneca, Tompkins, Yates and Wayne, NY counties. The ML is the coordinator for the Regional events. During NaNo (November) & the camps (April & July) they organize meet ups, write-ins, social events, etc. They are also the moderator(s) of their regional forum.

I’m still unpacking all of the information, but I wanted to shout this out. More to come, soon!

KHS

Winning

On By Katness HarrietIn Uncategorized, WriMo2 Comments

August 1, 2019

I have been participating in NaNoWriMo for 10 years, and Camp NaNo in April & July for each of the last 5 years, for a grand total of 20 attempts. This is the first time that I have finished a brand new writing project during one of the month-long events. It is a rough draft memoir about motherhood and mental health.

It’s ugly. It’s nowhere near done. And it will probably stay that way. However, I did learn a few things about myself during this process — and got a new novel idea, which I started mapping out today!

Campasset-Instagram

Honestly, I don’t feel that much different than I did a week ago — except that now I have actually set a writing goal that I achieved. I always get around to getting it done, but never on time. Frankly, my confidence about my writing has been in the toilet lately. There’s been a lot of *meh* in my notebooks these last few years.

  • My lack of teasable and usable ideas
  • My inability to commit to any ideas long enough to create something worth getting excited about
  • My obvious ignorance about the entire process
  • ADHD (that actually explained A LOT)
  • Lack of time &/or focus in my personal life
  • Overall ennui

To be able to say that I pushed through even when I had no idea how I could, would or should, has been a boost to morale around my writing desk. I know that I can finish these other projects. More than knowing that I can, I now how to get it done. I’m excited to move onto my next project, and I hope it turns out to be worthy of sharing.

Keep on scribbling!

~K~

WIP Progress – May 2019

On By Katness HarrietIn Uncategorized, WriMoLeave a comment

May 31, 2019 – Friday

My goal for this week was to update my website and finish a chapter on my work-in-progress. I was able to update my website last night, although I have made a mental note to *never* attempt to do that again from my mobile. What a nightmare! I haven’t been able to write much today, but I did work on my book cover. I’m not sure I like it yet, but I needed something as a placeholder for another spot.

cover - IDEK letters on motherhood

So, there you have it. I’m not a graphic designer, nor have I ever claimed to be. This one doesn’t sing to me. I may have to get my husband on the payroll once I finish the book. This is kind of his day job area.

My goal for this project is to complete the 1st draft before June 30th so that I can use July’s Camp Nanowrimo to work on edits. Ultimately, I want this completed by Labor Day. After that, I’ll have to figure out the publishing parts!